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Winter Vegetable Garden: Take Two!

I was feeling optimistic last month when I planted the winter garden. I crafted a durable cover for the planting beds before preparing the soil. I smiled to myself as I scattered those seeds, knowing they would soon be under cover.  Maybe I could outsmart those squirrels. With just enough mesh wire to cover the top box, I would have to settle for bird netting on the lower one.  Knotted and staked and freshly watered, alas, all was well.

Upper Vegetable bed

Upper Vegetable Bed
One lone, out-of-season, pumpkin plant

Lower vegetable bed

Lower Vegetable Bed
Pumpkins!

What a dreamer!  Lindy-Lu thought all that fresh dirt was for her.  She didn’t mind one bit that I covered the planting box with mesh. She took care of “business” on top of the netting without a care in the world.  My little plot was now littered with carnivorous droppings, the world’s worst fertilizer.  I cleaned out the offending bits, then smoothed out the soil. I added a scrap of chicken wire but didn’t have enough for full coverage.  So much for optimism.

Ironically, nothing seems to be coming up in the fortified box, unless you count a Cosmo and a Pumpkin!  Don’t they know it’s almost winter?  In reality, we’re all confused.  We had record-breaking heat yesterday, the hottest November 5th since the early 1900’s!  We’ve continued to “enjoy” hot weather, even though the angle of the sun says fall.  Do you think the winter seeds are lying low till they get the news that fall has really arrived?

I picked up a pair of cell packs at the nursery today with broccoli and cauliflower. Rain is in the forecast for Thursday with a twenty-degree drop in temps. I’ll get them into the boxes tomorrow and then I’ll do my little rain dance.

vegetable cell packs

Vegetable Cell Packs

 

12 thoughts on “Winter Vegetable Garden: Take Two!”

  1. Oh Boy, Lindy Lu…that wasn’t very lady like. hehe. I can’t believe your weather today, 81 F according to Weather dot com. I see San Jose forecast for 14 C on Thursday, that’s funny because yesterday we were at 12 C (warmer than usual as well). We’re forecast for snow again overnight…it’ll go on like this thru early-mid November…snow/melt/snow/melt. I hope you’ll get the rain, the earth needs some lovin’. Also nature depends on the ponds and rivers…come on rain! Good luck with the Cell Packs, they look super healthy.

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    • The earth does need some lovin’. The forecast says two days worth. I’m so ready for a downpour. The east coast is flooded and we’re parched.

      I think you’ve written some partial lyrics there, Boomdee: snow/melt, snow/melt….la,la.la…

      What would MP say?

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      • Ha, cute…..la la la. 😀
        Little Michael said (about MP) “we better keep an eye on this one, she’s tricky” and that would best describe our weather today. I had sooooo many errands to do today but won’t be getting to any of them. It’s snowing sideways, all kinds of road accidents and the weather guy is announcing cancelled busses, airlines. On the bright side, it’s also moisture and I can go the the crafty room with no guilt since I got all my ‘glamourous house things’ done yesterday. On days like this I’m so glad Jim can walk to work and I don’t have to worry about him on the hi-way. It’s only -1, so maybe I’ll go for a walk too 🙂

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  2. I’m thinking the plants don’t see the calendar. Maybe you could put a calendar close to the planter box so they get the idea? 🙂 Heck, even Mother Nature doesn’t pay attention to our calendars. She seems to be getting old an confused just like me. What’s with the weather anyway? Never mind. That opens up a whole new kettle of worms.

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